Pigeon problem }Need help{

[HeelerDawg]

I recently purchased,what was supposed to be a pair of roller pigeons but really turned out to be two females. The real problem is that one of them seems to have gone weak in the legs. She was perfectly fine for the first few days. She walked around normally just like the other one but now she takes really short steps and uses her wings to balance herself. Then, when she gets where she is going, she just lays down. My dad and I both, have had lots of experience in various breeds of livestock but this is our first venture into the pigeon world. Our best guess is that she may be vitamin deficient since her legs are just weak but not broken. I would really appreciate some advice from someone who has had alot of experience with pigeons. Thanks in advance.

 

[rachel]

I will start by saying that I have no experience with pigeons other than hand raising doves on occasion. I did have a similar problem with my coturnix though.
I remembered from raising my ducklings that sometimes they can get wing and leg problems from being niacin deficient, so I thought I would give it a shot with my quail. I got 100mg niacin vitamins from the grocery store (get the ones that are just plain niacin) and ground one up with a mortar and pestle (I'm sure you could even use a spoon, they aren't that hard) and mixed with water in a ration of 100mg niacin to 1 gallon of water. (Like many vitamins this is NOT a case of more is better) I don't know if it will help your birds, but it might be worth a shot.

How old are your pigeons? Are they on wire?

ETA: My quail with the leg problems is just fine now, it may just have been a coincidence, but it also could have been the niacin. Good luck!

 

[chinbunny1]

She could be getting ready to lay an egg. I was told its a calcium deficiency, and to give them tums when they do that.

 

[nzpouter]

are they being treated for something when you get them...?

 

[HeelerDawg]

Thanks for the advice. They are older stock so I don't think it is a growing problem. Yes she is laying right now so the calcium deficiency idea may be right, I just never knew it could cause them to go weak like that. They're not on a wire bottomed cage so I know its nothing to do with that; and as far as if they have been treated with something prior to me purchasing them, I don't know. Currently the only kind of medication they have gotten from me would be from the medicated chick starter I fed them the first day I got them.
If anyone has any other ideas, let me know. Thanks.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Does she already have two eggs laid? Sounds a lot like she's egg bound. Either that, or it's very possible it could be calcium deficiency, or something is in the bowels bothering her. Often when they have pain down there, they'll sit and not move much, and may even pluck their own feathers.

 

[HeelerDawg]

Well she laid her second egg today, about three days after the first and she still isn't moving normally. So today I got a roll of Tums, crushed one tablet and top dressed her feed with it. I am going to do this daily until she improves and hopefully her calcium level will build back up. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Her problems with walking was probably due to the egg then. Three days between the two eggs is a little slow, but I'm glad it passed okay. She should improve in a few days, she's just very stressed right now. Continue giving her the calcium supplement and you can try giving her a bath in warm water (if she still can't get around very well, you'll just have to dip her yourself). That'll help relax her muscles.


Although she may not have necessarily been egg bound, she's probably going through post-egg-laying paralysis. It's caused by inflammation of the main nerve that controls the legs. Sometimes it can get pinched between the inside of the pelvis and the egg shell when laying, making it where she can't walk. It should clear up anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, depending on how bad it was. I don't expect your hen to take any longer than a few days to recover. It may be a good idea to separate her in the meantime to avoid her mate or other birds from bullying her while she's lame.